Leaving Osaka at 3AM

What a week!  We Dodged one typhoon and are now Slipping Away from our second.

Two days ago we landed in Kobe, jumped on a minibus and visited a sake brewery/museum and the Mt. Rokko Music Box museum. 

To add some excitement, our bus driver turned the wrong way into a one-way street, tried to back out, and bashed into a pole - bam!

Then we got back on board and sailed a whole 16 nautical miles to Osaka. Just to get another port under our belts. 

Here we saw a fabulous aquarium. 

We lined up like these fish to stare at fish. 

But then we got a shock: the trip as we'd been promised was over. No more calls in exotic ports. Our nemesis the typhoon had reached 180-200 mph winds and become the most powerful storm on the planet in 2014. We aren't going to stick around to stare into its 25-mile-wide eye. 

They gave us a couple hours to decide: Cruise or Cancel?

Princess Cruises is giving us (who are still onboard) 100% credit on a new trip. However, many passengers have left the ship 5 days early, along with some performers and crew. They're not afraid of the typhoon, but we are heading to sea for 5-6 days and don't plan to land again until at least one day later than our original schedule. 

I've been pondering the ramifications: 

On the one hand, if we leave then it's 5 days on our own, no hotel, no plan, no speaka-da-Japanese, etc. but also flexibility and excitement. 

On the other hand, here on the Diamond Princess we are warm, well-fed, with 8 friends. We are still seeing Japan from the seaside as we anticipated. All expenses paid. 

Hey, it's travel, right? So we've stayed onboard. 

Our ship's schedule has fallen apart. All plans are disrupted - no casino, no art auctions, lectures cancelled, dining rooms are nearly vacant (buffet still busy though). 

I'm sure things will get back on track, but for now we are easing away from the dock at 3:33 am, heading for safer waters.